Snow removal apparatus having a hollow central horizontally extending auger



.wwag a Jan. 12, 1965 G. E. HANSON SNOW REMOVAL APPARATUS HAVING A HOLLOW CENTRAL Filed 001;- 18. 1962 HORIZONTALLY EXTENDING AUGER 2 Sheets-Sheet l Jan. 12, 1965 G. E. HANSON 3,164,913 s sNow REMOVAL APPARATUS HAVING A HOLLOW CENTRAL HORIZONTALLY EXTENDING AUGER Filed Oct. 18, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 min I g! IIIIIH United States Patent 3,164,913 SNOW REMGVAL APPARATUS HAVENG' A HGL- LUW CENTRAL HGRHZONTALLY EXTENDING AUGER Glenn E. Hanson, South Beloit, BEL, assignor to Hanson Equipment (lompany Filed Oct. 18, 1962, Ser. No. 231,490

1 Claim. (Cl. 3743) This invention relates to snow removalapparatus of the type having a plow of V shape and an auger rotating about an axis bisecting the V to carry snow received-by I ctiicient tran'sferof snow to the fan while avoiding bridging or clogging of snowbetween the plow blades.

A further object is to provide a novel arrangement of the auger and blades to take advantage of the efficient action of the auger and handle a swath of snow substantially wider than the path covered by the auger.

A' more detailed object is to extend the auger a substantial distance from the apex of the V and into the space between the plow blades andto enclose the auger and fan completely in a housing except for inletand outlet openings arranged in a novel manner to achieve substantial suction improving the transfer action of the auger.

-Other objects and advantages ofthe invention will be-v paratus embodying the novel features of the present invention and shown attached to the hydraulic lift mechanism of a tractor. l a

FIG. 2 is a'fragmentary enlarged side elevational view of the apparatus.

FIG. 3 is a front end elevational view showing different positions of a directional deflector chut'eiat the outlet end of the' apparatus. 1 i s FIG. 4 is a fragmentary top plan view of the apparatus.

FIG. '5 is an elevational view of auger and centrifugal fan assembly, and

F1616 is a fragmentary end elevational view. of the apparatus showing the auger and plow.

The snow removal apparatus shown in the drawings to illustrate the present invention compiises generally a bar and carry alined outwardly projecting stub shafts 19 which are journaled in rearwardly projecting side arms 20 of the hitch. The third or center hitch part 21 is pivotally connected to a yoke 22 secured to the closed end of a bridge member 23 of inverted U-shape having its depending legs welded at its lower end to the'side member extensions. The bridge member is reinforced by a diagonal brace 24 also of inverted 'U-shape with its legs extending past and welded intermediate their ends to intermediate portions of the side members.

The auger-12 and fan 11 are mounted on the frame 10 to rotate about an axis paralleling the side members 16 which, through their connection to the three point hitch of the tractor 14, extend longitudinally ofthe tractor. In the present instance, the fan and auger are secured to a common shaft 25 which is journaled at oppositeends in bearings 26 carried by the rear tubular frame member 17 a shieldedcoupling 33 of standard construction.

- ally' disposed edge adjacent the tractor, each .fan blade Herein, the centrifugal fan 11 comprises four blades 27 in the form of flat rectangular plates lying in perpendicular radial planes of the shaft 25 and each welded along one end edge to the shaft. Along its forward radi- .angles to the other bar andhaving a, center aperture receiving the shaft. The auger 12 comprises a plurality of spiralling ribbons. or strips 30 of metal welded at their forward ends to the'flat reinforcing bars 29 for the fan blades. At their other ends, the ribbons are welded to similar straight reinforcing bars 31 which are welded in right angular relation to the shaft and are apertured centrally to receive the shaft. Each ribbon lies along a spiral about the shaft and herein extends 180 around the shaft,- the ends of the ribbon being disposed radially and its flat sides facing axially. Preferably, additional support for the ribbons intermediate their ends is provided by an intermediate pair of reinforcing bars 32 similar to the other pairs of bars and welded to the shaft and the rib- .bon'sjin the same manner. The direction of spiralling of the ribbons is correlated with the. direction of rotation adapted to throw snow away from the apparatus, an auger 12;.for feeding snow to the fan and a plow 13 for deflecting snow into the auger. While the frame may be wheeled and carry a power source such as an internal combustion engine as is Well known in thear't, it is especially adapted in the present instance for mounting on a vehicle suchas a tractor 14- having a power-take-off shaft 15. The frame is rectangular with sideni'embers 16 of channel cross section connected at one end by a tubulaif'end member 17 and welded adjacent the-other end to opposite ends of an angle bar 18 paralleling the end member. The apparatus is mounted on the rear of the tractor as shown in the drawings and operates during rearward movement of the tractor. The terms, front and rear, are used herein in their normal reference to parts of the tractor.

To adapt the frame 10 for connection to 'a'standard three point hitch at the rear end of the tractor 14, the side frame members 16 extend forwardly beyond the'angle .of the shaft so that the auger advan-ces snow toward the fan 11.

In accordance with the present invention, the auger 12 and fan 11 are enclosed by a housing 34 and the housing,

the auger, and the plow 13 are constructed and arranged in a novel manner to transfer'large quantities of snow to the fan while avoiding bridging or clogging of snow. To these ends, there are two plow blades 35 diverging rearwardly' to form a V and define a swath which is substantially wider than the diameter of the auger and fan.

Also the auger andhousing extend from the apex of the V of the 'bladesxa substantial distance into the space between the bladesfwhere the auger breaks up snow tending to bridge the blades. The quantities of snow which the apparatus is able to handle and thus the width of the swath are increased dueto enclosure of the auger and fan by the housing completely except for an inlet opening 36 in thelower portion of the housing between the plow blades and an outlet opening 37 in the radial plane of the fan for centrifugal discharge of'the snow from. the housing. The auger, the fan, and thefhousing with only these openings cooperate to create a suction effect tending to pull into the housing the snow moving forwardly between the blades and coming into contact with the auger. This suction eifectis augmented by making the periphery of the auger blades 3th and the .end member 17 of the frame.

:3 housing complementary in shape and substantially coextensive so that the housing cioseiy encloses the auger. It will be apparent from FIGS. 5 and 6 that the inner peripheries of the blades are spaced from the shaft throughout their lengths to provide an interior cylindrica contour and form a tunnel through the auger and along the shaft to the fan and an axial opening to the tunnel at the end of the auger opposite t e fan.

The auger ribbons 39, by virtue of their extension a substantial distance into the space between the plow blades 35, serve to break up snow tending to bridge the blades and advance the snow forwardly into the fan 11. Also, the number and pitch of the blades is correlated with the speed of rotation of the shaft and the capacity of the fan 11 to carry, to the fan as much snow as it is capable of discharging from the housing.

An effective breaking up action is achieved by shaping the blades so that their outer peripheries lie on a cylinder closely adjacent the ground over which the plow is passing. The interior contour of the housing is of complementary cylindrical shape and the cylindrical wall 38 of the housing is only slightly larger than the cylinder defined by the outer peripheries of theauger ribbons soas to provide running clearance between-the two while obtaining a fan effect to utilize the suction of the auger ribbons and fan blades effectually. At its forward end, the housing is closed completely by a flat end wall 39 and the upper portion of the other end of the housing also is closed by an end wall 40, the lower portion of the rear end of the housing being open as indicated above to receive snow. In addition to improving the suction effect, the rear end wall cooperates with the cylindrical wall to retain the snow within the housing and prevent clouding or misting.

The plow blades 35 in this instance are generally straight with a concave transverse curvature throughout 1 their lengths. The blades converge at an angle of slightly less than 90 and at their front ends are curved as indicated at 41 (FIGS. 2 and 6) to merge with the cylinder housing wall 38 and define the rear lower edge of the housing inlet opening. The blades are long enough so that, in a rearward direction from the centrifugal fan 11, they extend approximately twice as far as the housing. The swath of the blades, that is, their spacing at their rearmost ends is equal approximately to two and a half times the diameter of the outer peripheries of the auger blades 30. To reinforce the lower edge portions of the plow blades these edges are welded to angle bars 42 having skid plates 43 on their undersides engageable with the ground. Further reinforcing of the projecting end portions of the plow blades is obtained by Welding these portions to downturned end portions 44 of the tubular At their upper edges adjacent the housing, the blades are coupled to the channel side members 16' of the frame through triangular horizontal plates 45. i I

The outlet opening 37 is located in the cylindrical wall 38 of the housing 34 along one side thereof above the channel side members 16 of the frame 10. Extending upwardly from that opening is a chute 46 of rectangular cross section having pivoted on. its upper end portion a curved deflector hood 47. This hood is swingable selectively between two positions in which it deflects snow respectively to one side or the other of the tractor, a spring 48 acting between the hood and the chute to urge the hood over center into either one of its limit positions which are determined by engagement with the chute as shown in FIG. 3. To enable the operator of the tractor to change the position of the hood without leaving his seat, an actuator bar 49 secured at one end to the chute extends forwardly and rotat'ablythrough a supporting post 50 on the front of the inverted U-shaped bridge member 23 and then is bent laterally to form a handle to be grasped by the operator.

It will be apparent that, in the operation of the improved apparatus, the apparatus is lowered to permit the skid plates 43 to engage the ground. In this position, the auger ribbons 30 rotate close to the ground due to their cylindrical exterior contour and, as the tractor moves in reverse, the ribbons engage snow being deflected inwardly by the plow blades 35. The rear edges of the auger ribbons engage the snow successively and, due to the spiralling of the ribbons, the snow is propelled forwardly into the centrifugal fan blades 27. The latter then throw the snow out of the housing 34 through the outlet opening 37 and into engagement with the hood 47 for deflection to one side or the other side of the apparatus. With the housing substantially closed except for the inlet opening 36 at the lower rear portion and the outlet opening 37, the auger ribbons 30 and fan blades create a forward flow of air which sucks the snow into the housing. It is believed that this action increases the quantity of snow that can be handled by the auger and that the suction plus extension of the auger ribbons a substantial distanceinto the space between the plow blades further increases the quantity of snow which can be handled. In addition to handling large quantities of snow Within a swath more than twice the diameter of the anger, the apparatus is of simple and inexpensive construction.

The invention claimed is:

Snow removal apparatus having, in combination, a frame, a cylindrical housing having a cylindrical side wall and mounted on said frame with its axis disposed horizontally, a shaft mounted on said frame for rotation about said axis, a first end wall closing one end of said housing, a centrifugal fan mounted on said shaft within said housing adjacent said end wall, said cylindrical housing wall adjacent said first end wall having an outlet opening for the discharge of snow radially from the fan, a hollow auger having the same diameter as said fan and a plurality of spiral blades mounted on said shaft between the centrifugal fan and the opposite end of said housing and extending along the length of the shaft from the fan to the opposite end of the housing, said spiral blades being spaced from said shaft throughout their lengths to present a cylindrical peripheral contour complementary to and closely adjacent said cylindrical wall and a similar interior contour to form a tunnel through the auger and along the shaft to the fan and an axial opening leading into said auger tunnel at the end of the auger opposite to said fan, a plow mounted on said framework and having blades extending outwardly from said housing and diverging in a direction along said axis away from said first endwall, means on the lower portion of said cylindrical wall adjacent said opposite end of said housing defining an inlet opening for entry of snow into the housing and into said tunnel as the plow is moved along a path in the direction of divergence of said blades, and a second end wall closing the upper portion of said opposite end of said housing above said housing inlet opening to cooperate with said cylindrical wall and said closed housing end to define a suction chamber for drawing snow into the housing through the housing inlet opening and to prevent snow from entering into the upper portion of the axial opening into the tunnel.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,525,506 2/25 Lauterbur 198-64 1,880,840 10/32 Currier 19864 2,681,516 6/54 Bourne 37-21 X 2,751,697 6/56 Bucher.

2,777,218 1/57 Kiecker 37-43 FOREIGN PATENTS 549,502 12/57 Canada. 1,122,975 2/ 62 Germany.

BENJAMIN HERSH, Primary Examiner. M. KAUFMAN, Examiner. 

